


Petiron's Mystery Apprentice

by Elf (Elfwreck)



Category: Harper Hall Trilogy - Anne McCaffrey
Genre: Family Drama, Gen, Gender Roles, Harper (Pern), Letters, Mistaken Identity, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-01
Updated: 2015-09-01
Packaged: 2018-04-18 10:03:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4701971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elfwreck/pseuds/Elf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Petiron has found a talented student, and he's not telling Robinton anything more than that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Petiron's Mystery Apprentice

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Doranwen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Doranwen/gifts).



> I'd wondered how, in a society with such tight gender roles, Petiron could have said "I found this student; here's some amazing songs"--and never mentioned "oh by the way, _it's a girl_." He'd have to go out of his way to obscure that fact--and why? If he could recognize Menolly's talent, why would he think the Hall wouldn't accept her? Or did he just want to make sure Robinton was thoroughly convinced of her musical talents before mentioning the (rather large) impediment to being an apprentice?
> 
> I don't actually answer those questions here; I just explore Robinton's frustrations with the lack of details.

To: Masterharper Robinton, Harper Hall  
From: Harper Petiron, Half-Circle Sea Hold

Masterharper Robinton,

I may have found a Harper apprentice. While sea holds are not known for their creativity - fishing takes discipline, and actions inspired by free thinking on a ship can cause deaths - the young here are as curious and artistic as children anywhere. 

Of course, most of that creativity goes to putting rude words to Teaching ballads, but that does give them an incentive to remember the tunes. I encourage such behavior by correcting them when I catch them "misremembering" a song, and making sure we practice the correct versions more often; that way, they've got both in their heads.

However, most of the children, like most of the adults, are intensely focused on their work, and have no interest in frivolity outside of the occasional gather-day festival. But, as they say around here, a bad storm brings wood to the beach, and in the continuing doldrums of children whose only appreciation for the Teaching sagas is for the time spent not hauling fish, I've found a talented student, young enough not to have ruined hands from handling ropes in saltwater, with a strong and agile voice, and some skill at songwriting. I'm attaching a sample; please let me know what you think.

Respectfully,  
Masterharper Petiron

♫ * ♫ * ♫

HAUL AWAY

The sky is dark  
And you want more sleep  
Another 'mark  
Is your only wish  
But the captain calls "Hark!"  
You have chores to keep  
Lest others catch all the fish  
Haul away  
Haul away  
For the tide will not wait on your waking

The boat is tall  
And the waves are strong  
You give your all  
As you tend your ropes  
For the captain barks "Haul!"  
And the day is long  
Rest in the lull between throws  
Haul away  
Haul away  
For the tide will not wait on your waking

♫ * ♫ * ♫

Robinton sighed. His father insisted on using titles, even in private letters; he'd said that "anyone could read it" and insisted that he was just trying to avoid unfair bias because of Robinton's status. Petiron almost never wrote to him, and when he did, it was always formal and distant. Between Hall politics and his mother's death, Robinton's relationship with his father was strained at best, and Robinton missed the man who'd first taught him to cherish music.

This was new, though. Petiron had never mentioned any of his students except in the vaguest of ways. He'd mentioned that _the boys would rather be here than on the docks; the girls would rather be here than in the kitchens_ , but not that any of them wanted to learn music. Thinking back, Robinton couldn't remember his father ever bringing a student to his attention, not in the nearly three decades since he had been appointed Masterharper.

Any student who could break through that silence must be special indeed.

♫ * ♫ * ♫

To: Harper Petiron, Half-Circle Sea Hold  
From: Masterharper Robinton, Harper Hall

Master Petiron,

What a clever song! The tune is evocative of sea shanties--does it fit the rhythm of any particular task on a ship? Whether or not it does, it's very different from landbound holder songs. The tune simple and strong; it'd be easy to teach to holders who've never visited the coast. And the phrasing is delightful--not laden with the special terms that make so many sea songs incomprehensible to inlanders. 

Quite a remarkable find, your apprentice! On the basis of that tune alone, I'd be happy to invite him to Harper Hall. Please, tell me more about him. What's his name? How old is he? What musical talents does he have beyond songwriting?

We need a more diverse range of lads here, especially from distant places, to bring fresh perspectives. Too much similarity is bad for the Hall; we need Harpers from all over Pern, not just the weyrs and larger holds.

About those "rude versions" of Teaching ballads -- please send copies if you can track them down! While we have an extensive archive of Weyr and Crafthall variants, we don't have many from holds, especially those as remote as Half-Circle Sea Hold. I recall a couplet from when I journeyed at a sea hold several turns ago -- "Lonely men with shipfish breed / when they've been drinking sailors' seed" -- but then the lad spotted me, and he and his friends hid from me for the rest of my visit; I never did hear the rest of the song. And of course, I couldn't ask my hosts what the nine-turns-old boys were singing while they dodged their chores.

I do hope you're content enough. It can't be easy to be a Harper among such a taciturn group of people, and while I miss your company, I am glad that the Hall is well-represented even in such a remote hold. Your apprentice sounds very promising indeed, and I look forward to hearing more about him.

I've attached two sets of harp wires; do tell me if you need any more supplies.

Respectfully,  
Robinton

♫ * ♫ * ♫

To: Masterharper Robinton, Harper Hall  
From: Harper Petiron, Half-Circle Sea Hold

Robinton,

Thank you for the harp strings; both metal and wood are valued commodities here, carefully rationed. Any bit of lumber large enough to be used to make instruments is large enough to be used to repair a ship; I have to resort to teaching theory instead of practice, for those few children who show an aptitude for Harper's craftsmanship. 

And yes, before you ask, the one who wrote the songs seems to have at least some affinity for all aspects of the Harper craft.

I'm not sure my apprentice can be sent to Harper Hall. There are always family obligations to consider in a Hold, and Half-Circle has never been overly-fond of Harpers beyond their ability to keep time while the men sing very loudly and to instill a sense of duty into the children. However, I agree that "Haul Away" is very good, and I have another song for your consideration, attached on a separate page.

Respectfully,  
Harper Petiron

♫ * ♫ * ♫

The second song was even better than the first, showing signs of musical growth in the few short months between letters. Robinton very much wanted to meet the boy who'd caught his father's interest and convinced him to reach out to Robinton; he'd have to find a way to convince him that he'd earned a place in Harper Hall on his own talents, not just because Petiron recommended him.

Robinton loved music like this -- tunes and lyrics simple enough for everyone to sing; musically innovative enough to be memorable and interesting to Harpers. So many apprentices with a gift for songwriting focused on extremes: twenty-verse ballads, a chorus spanning three octaves, musical duets for two harps in different keys… He wished more of them understood that grand and complex music was not "better" than simpler tunes. Moreta's Ride was indeed one of Harper Hall's gems… but the Question Song survived to do its purpose because it was easily-memorized and fun to sing.

The would-be apprentice who'd written these two songs could write the next Question Song; Robinton was sure of it.

And Petiron was hiding his identity.

Robinton furrowed his brow as he considered his father's evasive reply. "Not sure" the boy could be sent to Harper Hall--What did he mean by that? "Family obligations…" was the lad betrothed? Was he someone's unacknowledged bastard? Surely Petiron hadn't been gone from the Hall for so long that he'd forgotten how little rank mattered here! While some apprentices did squabble over what they believed were slights, they were quickly informed that talent and dedication, not birthright, were the measures of status in Harper Hall.

Robinton mused on what kinds of "obligations" might keep an apprentice from his rightful place in the Hall. Perhaps he was as talented at fishing as he was at songwriting, and they wanted him on the boats. (Please, no; a few turns of heavy work in saltwater, and his hands would ruined for harp or gitar.) Perhaps he was in disgrace for some infraction and under long-term punishment, and the Lord Holder didn't want to release him early, especially for such a reward as apprenticeship in Harper Hall. Perhaps he was older than apprentices usually are, and espoused. Of course, his wife and children could be made welcome in the Hall as well--but the lad might not believe that, or they might not want to move.

Robinton desperately wanted to believe that there was indeed some scandal or family obligation that prevented Petiron from packing the boy off to the Hall immediately. He didn't want to think that Petiron was nursing turns of quiet resentment that would prevent him from getting this boy the education and training he so obviously deserved. He wanted to push that thought away; it was unworthy of the respect Petiron deserved as both a Master Harper and his father… but he could not manage his Hall if he ignored the possibility of petty personal agendas.

He could, however, refrain from mentioning the idea to anyone. Instead, he shared the songs with Sebell and Silvina, and they agreed that, whatever the circumstances, the author of those songs belonged _here_ , not in a remote cove at the far end of Pern. The boy needed Harper Hall--and the Hall needed him.

Since Petiron was avoiding answers, Robinton would have to fall back on more direct methods to get the information he needed.

♫ * ♫ * ♫

To: Harper Petiron, Half-Circle Sea Hold  
From: Masterharper Robinton, Harper Hall

Petiron,

I must request you tell me the identity of the author of the two songs you sent in previous letters; that child belongs at Harper Hall, and should be sent as soon as possible to begin a formal apprenticeship. While you are a very talented teacher, you cannot, on your own, give the full range of Harper training available in the Hall.

Attached you will find a letter of invitation; please be assured that, whatever familial or political impediments exist, the Hall will find a way around them; we cannot let talented youths languish because of prejudices or a spot of troubled history. I have also included three Marks, which should cover the cost of travel and supplies if poverty is a concern.

I wish you to know that, despite the bluntness of this letter, I am grateful to you for....


End file.
